Arch supporting insole



March 1, 1932. A gU 1,847,810

ARCH SUPPORTING INSOLE Filed May 8, 1950 jzrzzzar:

Patented Mar. 1 1932 UNITED STATES ALBERT BOUEKE, or Damn-mommy ARCH surronrme jIN soLE Application filed May 8, 1930, Serial No.

This invention consists of an insole made of sheet metal for preventing or avoiding ki gal netic foot troubles caused by weak insteps.

The known insoles, particularly thosemade of sheet metal, effect owing to their curvature only a supporting or raising of the inner foot arch. The invention sets out to produce an insole which, whilst at the same time relieving the foot arch, effects an alteration of the position of the flatfoot and at the same time, by ordinary bending with the hand, can be easily shaped to any foot to be loosely inserted into the shoe.

The invention consists in a base plate that extends from the part adapted to the foot arch to a narrow surface extension on the inner foot edge towards the front and towards the rear, and that it is provided'on the under side of these extensions in front of and behind the actual foot arch with a known supporting means of suitable shape (block, supporting pad or the like) for raising the foot at these points. I

Owing to this construction the flat foot is slightly raised at two points, in front of and behind the actual inner arch respectively, by the means of the insole indicated, and consequently the peculiar manner of the weight transmission from the shank to the foot, when standing and walking, is tipped slightly towards the outer side and towards the rear, so that the excessive weight, which causes the sinking of the foot is transferred to the rear from the inner part of the foot to the foot bearing surface proper (heel-outer edge-outer forepart of the foot). The relative relieving and distending of the inner foot part, caused by this alteration of position of the flat foot, enables the use of a base plate, made of sheet metal bendable with the hands, without any fastening, guide or the like, on a second supporting plate, in the shoe, whilst retaining a suitable curvature, which on a continuation of the overloading of the inner part of the fiat foot is not possible, without the bend of the foot and of the 7 base plate being trodden flats By means of the flexible base plate the plate can be bentby the wearer himself, ac- I cording to the requirements of his foot, and

leather inner sole a." V L 7 aThe base plate 0 extends, from the centre 7 and wider part fitted to the, foot arch, towards '65 the front and towards the rear in a narrow from surface extension 0 and rear surface 450,69, imam Germany m 14, 1929.

the plate can be adapted to the foot sole withoutproducing points of pressure on the foot-sole. V a

" An embodiment of the invention is illustr'atedby wayof example in the accompany ll ing drawings in which Fig. 1 shows in side elevation the insole loaded by a foot.

' F ig.;2 is a top planview of'the insole.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through theinsole. The insole consists of a base plate 0 of flexible sheet metal, lnerely covered with the extension 0 (Fig. 2). On the under side of thesetwo extensionsc and 0 a supporting means of suitable'shape of felt, rubber or the like, is fitted like a block I (Fig. 2) in front of and behind the foot arch respectively; Under certain circumstances however only one of such supporting means may be used, namely on the under side of the' 'ifi front extension 0. By adjusting the blocks (1 at a certain height, under certain conditions the two blocks at different heights, the base plate 0 is brought into a position inclining downwardly towards the outer side and toao wards the rear (Fig. 3).

The-base plate 0, which consists in known manner of any suitable sheet metal bendable by hand, is used in the shape and arrangement described as an unlimitedly bendable, inde- 'B5 pendent plate without any-fastening, guide or the like (on a second supporting plate, in the shoe), the usual covering inner leather sole being immaterlal.

The operation of the insole is as follows: I790 Owing to the supporting means, adjustable to a certain height, the foot is slightly raised at these points in front of and behind the arch respectively and to acertain extent relieved, in that the main joint of thetarsus and of the metatarsus is slightly shifted and thereby slightly tipped outwardly and rearwardly.

By this means, in the case of flat foot, in

conjunction with the peculiarity of the connection or load transmission from the shank to the foot, which is caused by the particular construction of the skeleton of the foot, a displacement of load from the inner longitudinal arch of the foot to the natural sole loading surface is effected. The longitudinal arch is thereby relatively relieved and distended.

The baseflplate of 'sheetmetal bendable in I suitable manner by hand is inserted, owing to n V the action ofthe insole above described, in curved shape into the shoe without further fastening, guiding or the like, and thus used. As the base plate is in no way limited when the plate isinserted and when the wearer is standing or walking, it clings merely to the sole of the foot according to the actual conditions of the foot arch, without causing pres- H sure points and the like. Accordingto the entire arrangement of the insole thebase plate v; -:m nolonger serves for raising or aslifting support of the foot arch proper,

T Iclaimej A shoe insole including an arch support comprisinga metallic plate archedbetween .25 its ends, and the said ends being straight, the I said; metallic platebeing broad at the apex ,of the archland gradually. diminishing in widththroughout its curved, portion until it cmerges-with the .strai ht end portions,v and p "one.edgeof theplate: eing concentric with "the edge of the sole-of the shoe to which it is fitted, and elastic supports on which. the I 'Lstra-ight. endsuo'f the plate-are supported. 'In testimony whereofl affix my signature.

\ ;ALBERT"BO,UEKE. 

